


Dr. Horrible Drabbles

by dreamsofspike



Category: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-24 17:22:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 4,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9774251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsofspike/pseuds/dreamsofspike
Summary: A collection of my drabbles for the musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog", for various pairings.Warnings: violence, abuse, non-con, prostitution, character death, bullying, dark themes





	1. Alternate Ending

No one recognized him in his ordinary street clothes.  
  
He's intensely grateful, because he's sure he would lose his mind if he couldn't be here at her side, holding her hand despite the fact that she's unconscious and doesn't even know he's there -- might not want him to be if she did.  
  
Captain Hammer is off licking his wounds somewhere, apparently oblivious to the fact that Penny's spent several hours in critical condition, and then several more in the intensive care unit, with only about a 50% chance of survival.  
  
She's just been given her own room, and thankfully no one has questioned his right to be at her side.  
  
Perhaps it's the regretful tears that streak his face that let them know he really is a loved one -- or rather, that _she_ is. He doesn't know what she'll think of him when she wakes up... if she'll even remember what happened, and the dreadful part he played in it.  
  
He doesn't have long to wait.  
  
He's holding her hand in both of his, crying quietly, when she wakes up. He feels a slight increase of pressure, realizes she's squeezing his hand, and his eyes widen in hopeful wonder as hers open to take in his face.  
  
"Billy?" she whispers hoarsely.   
  
He sees a clarity of recognition in her eyes -- but no fear or anger -- only concern.  
  
"I'm here," he whispers back, eyes averted. He can't meet her eyes and see what he's done to her. "I... I'm sorry," he adds miserably, not daring to believe she might forgive him.  
  
"Are you all right?" she asks softly, her free hand rising weakly to touch his cheek.  
  
In wonder and disbelief he stares at her, trying to process the question. "A-am I...?"  
  
"What were you thinking, Billy?" She's shaking her head, a troubled frown creasing her brow. "When I realized it was you up there -- I was so scared... I thought... I thought he was going to hurt you..."  
  
He shakes his head, having trouble comprehending what she's saying.  
  
She's lying here because of his death ray, designed to kill her boyfriend -- and she was worried that _he_ might get hurt?  
  
"I... I just... I wanted to change things..."  
  
"I know you do," she interrupts gently. "I do, too. But... that's not the way..."  
  
"I know," he whispers, head bowed, dejected. "God, I know that now..."  
  
Her gentle fingertips brush through his hair, silently urging him to look up at her through hesitant eyes.  
  
"It's all right. No one knows it was you. You can... can change..." She pauses before adding, a wealth of meaning in her voice, "I can... can help you. I _want_ to. I want... I want..." Her voice trails off... but he thinks... _hopes_... he understands.  
  
"What about... Captain Hammer?" His voice is uncertain, and he wonders as he speaks if she'll know what he means.  
  
She does.  
  
She smiles softly, shaking her head slightly. "What about him?" she counters. "He's not here. You are."  
  
Overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, he lowers his head to rest on his hands wrapped around hers, trying to steady his emotions enough to keep from breaking down again.  
  
If there's one thing in all the world that's worth giving up world domination -- he's found it.  
  
He'll give it all up for her.


	2. A Whole New World

He wonders if she'd think he was a pathetic loser if she knew that he's hearing the theme music to Disney movies while she speaks. He's accepted the fact that, despite his evil aspirations, he's a hopeless romantic, and all he can think about as she describes the hope she holds out for their little town and the homeless shelter and such is Aladdin and Jasmine on a magic carpet ride, soaring into the unknown.  
  
 _That's us..._ he thinks, unable to suppress an affectionate, wistful smile as she goes on, oblivious to his secret musings. _... on the edge of a whole new life... things don't have to go this way... I could actually be with her if only I could just..._  
  
She's leaning in closer to him as she speaks, and he's suddenly forgotten what he was thinking, as the music swells in his head to an intensely emotional crescendo. She reaches out a gentle hand to tip his chin up as she speaks encouraging words to him.  
  
And all at once, because she's suddenly become aware of the spell that seems to be drawing them closer -- it's broken.  
  
She draws back, suddenly self-conscious -- and because she is... he is, too. He looks away, swallowing the lump that's formed in his throat, only half-listening as she keeps talking, though the topic has changed.  
  
"I'm glad you're here. I've been wanting you to meet Captain Hammer, and he said he'd stop by..."  
  
Panic overwhelms everything else he was feeling, and suddenly a very different style of music fills his head.  
  
His life will never be a fairy tale romance, he knows.  
  
Tools like Captain Hammer will always make sure of it.


	3. College Flashback

Once again, his evil scheme has been found out.  
  
Captain Hammer always seems to be just one step ahead of him.  
  
The huge, muscle-bound so-called hero lunges at him, knocking him to the ground underneath him, pinning him there and grinning down at him with malicious satisfaction. All at once, Dr. Horrible feels a wave of revulsion wash through him as he recognizes the hard bulge he feels against his hip, and realizes just how much his nemesis is enjoying this encounter.  
  
Unbidden, images fill his mind of his days in villain vo-tech school -- where he spent four years in shame at the fact that he was not even close to approaching the evilness level of a single one of his classmates.  
  
Evil college is not a good place for a not-so-evil wanna-be super-villain.  
  
He remembers another incident in which he felt almost exactly the same thing. It was a different massive, self-important idiot pinning him to the ground -- and actually, there had been about four said idiots involved -- but the feeling of frustrated, terrified powerlessness and violation was very much the same.  
  
Rage takes the place of terror, and before he knows what he's doing -- or how he's doing it -- Dr. Horrible has managed to shove Captain Hammer off of him, reversing their positions and raining blows into the larger man's face as he rails against him, raging about past offenses and humiliations -- not _all_ of which Captain Hammer was actually responsible for.  
  
It doesn't matter.  
  
Horrible knows... his type are all the time.  
  
He goes home limping, badly beaten -- because it was a only a few minutes before Hammer managed to regain the upper hand -- but feeling a strange sense of catharsis that goes deeper and farther back than any of the history between him and Captain Hammer.  
  
For the first time, Dr. Horrible actually believes that he might be able to maintain the level of evilness required for the Evil League of Evil.   
  
_One day, Captain Hammer... one day... you and your kind will bow before me and tremble... and I'll never have to be afraid again..._


	4. Frozen Yogurt

Even an established, notorious super-villain, respected member of the Evil League of Evil, still has to do his laundry on occasion.  
  
And when Dr. Horrible does his, even after all these years -- he can't bring himself to go as anyone but Billy.  
  
It would feel like an insult to her memory to go to any other laundromat, and he knows she wouldn't approve of his life now -- so he always goes in his ordinary street clothes, appearing to the other clueless patrons to be nothing more than a normal, somewhat geeky young man.  
  
The others try to get him to celebrate the anniversary of his tremendous victory -- the day when Bad Horse declared that he had earned a place in the Evil League of Evil -- but he never does. No one knows what he does when he disappears alone on that day, year after year.  
  
All he does is his laundry.  
  
And if he stops along the way for a double order of frozen yogurt, well -- that's no one's business but his.  
  
They all think it's a day for Dr. Horrible to celebrate -- but for Billy, it will always be a day of mourning.


	5. A Whole New World

He wonders if she'd think he was a pathetic loser if she knew that he's hearing the theme music to Disney movies while she speaks. He's accepted the fact that, despite his evil aspirations, he's a hopeless romantic, and all he can think about as she describes the hope she holds out for their little town and the homeless shelter and such is Aladdin and Jasmine on a magic carpet ride, soaring into the unknown.  
  
 _That's us..._ he thinks, unable to suppress an affectionate, wistful smile as she goes on, oblivious to his secret musings. _... on the edge of a whole new life... things don't have to go this way... I could actually be with her if only I could just..._  
  
She's leaning in closer to him as she speaks, and he's suddenly forgotten what he was thinking, as the music swells in his head to an intensely emotional crescendo. She reaches out a gentle hand to tip his chin up as she speaks encouraging words to him.  
  
And all at once, because she's suddenly become aware of the spell that seems to be drawing them closer -- it's broken.  
  
She draws back, suddenly self-conscious -- and because she is... he is, too. He looks away, swallowing the lump that's formed in his throat, only half-listening as she keeps talking, though the topic has changed.  
  
"I'm glad you're here. I've been wanting you to meet Captain Hammer, and he said he'd stop by..."  
  
Panic overwhelms everything else he was feeling, and suddenly a very different style of music fills his head.  
  
His life will never be a fairy tale romance, he knows.  
  
Tools like Captain Hammer will always make sure of it.


	6. Take Everything

He's finally made it.  
  
Dr. Horrible smiles in satisfaction as he surveys the lavish surroundings of his new penthouse apartment -- one of the many perks of membership in the Evil League of Evil being more money than one could conceivably spend in any given lifetime.  
  
He stares out through the glass at the sparkling city lights beneath him, his hands clasped together behind his back.   
  
"Nice view, isn't it?"  
  
He spins around, startled by the familiar but unexpected voice behind him. His eyes narrow with cold suspicion.  
  
"How did you get in here?"  
  
Captain hammer shrugs carelessly. "Your security system sucks."  
  
"Apparently," Dr. Horrible scoffs, rolling his eyes in irritation. "What do you want?"  
  
"To finish what I've started," Hammer cryptically replies, an unsettling smile on his lips, and he takes a slow step forward. "I'm almost done, you know."  
  
"With what?"   
  
His voice is wary as he finds himself instinctively backing away -- and all at once, the deep red and black of his super-villain outfit fade into ordinary grey, and he's in his hoodie and jeans.  
  
He's just Billy again.  
  
That thought alone is somehow terrifying to him, and he takes another shaky step backward as Hammer continues advancing, closing the distance between them.  
  
"I told you I'd take everything from you that you ever wanted -- didn't I? And... I've almost succeeded."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Billy scoffs, trying for defiance and derision, made less effective by the trembling of his voice. "Look around! All this is mine! I _beat_ you! I'm in the Evil League of Evil, and I've got everything I've ever wanted..."  
  
"Except _her_... right, Billy?"  
  
Billy's voice is soft, icy. "Don't call me that... and don't talk about her."  
  
"So you achieved your goal -- but it's not what you _really_ wanted. You lost the girl... and I'd wager she meant more to you than any of this. The funny thing is..."   
  
Hammer is right in his face now, and Billy flinches as a hard, strong hand grabs his hair and yanks his head back. Hammer's hot breath sends fearful tingles down his neck, his voice soft and menacing as he concludes.  
  
"... I think you've lost more than you've gained. And you're about to lose more."  
  
Hammer's hand is playing around the waist of Billy's jeans, and an icy tingle of fear makes its way up his spine, paralyzing him with terrified realization.  
  
"No... no..."  
  
Hammer throws him down on the floor on his stomach, falling upon him a moment later, his heavy bulk easily pinning Billy to the floor, despite his desperate struggles to get away.  
  
"i told you I'd take _everything_. You think this would be any different?"  
  
"Stop... please, stop!"   
  
Billy's begging now. He can't face this violation, on top of the devastating truth of the terrible words Hammer's already spoken. But his begging does no good. Hammer yanks his jeans down, penetrating him without warning or preparation -- and an anguished scream of agony is torn from Billy's lips.  
  
Strangely, it makes no sound.  
  
When it's over, Billy slumps to the floor, sobbing softly, a broken, empty shell, no longer possessing the will to fight.  
  
What is there left to fight for?  
  
"The truth is..." Hammer whispers in his ear, "... without her... without _loving_ her... you're not who you were at all, are you? Me... your obsession with beating me... has cost you everything. I've raped you of your love... your dignity... your _humanity_. You've lost... _you_."  
  
"No... no... no..."  
  
Billy struggles to free himself, frustrated and panicked when he finds himself only more and more entangled in something that's holding him down, keeping him in place. He fights in vain, finally managing to sit up with a cry of fear.  
  
He blinks sleepily, stunned and disoriented to find himself in his own bed... in his own crappy little apartment.  
  
It was all a dream.  
  
He's still only an _aspiring_ member of the Evil League of Evil... and Penny's alive... and Hammer hasn't taken the last thing there is to take from him.  
  
Not yet.  
  
 _That's it. From now on, things are going to be different. I won't let them turn out that way... not this time around. If getting into the ELE is going to make me lose Penny... I don't need it. I love her... and she's all I need._


	7. Feeling Blue

He spends most of his time alone -- and most of the time, he's pretty much okay with that.  
  
He's never been good at playing nicely with others -- or rather, others have never been very good at playing nicely with him. It seems that from childhood, Billy's had some kind of secret stamp that everyone but him could see that declared him fair game for anyone who happened to have aggressive tendencies.  
  
No, he's better off alone.  
  
But every now and then... he gets lonely.  
  
Doing laundry doesn't make him feel any better when he's feeling blue -- but seeing Penny does.  
  
In a world full of people that he'd rather live without, Penny is the one that he can't seem to get enough of. One minute with her, and he feels like he's soaring, his cares swallowed up in a sort of delirious elation.  
  
She's his fail-proof cure for the blues, every time.


	8. I'll Protect You

He feels a lot of things as he makes his reluctant retreat with the fruits of his labor, trying not to think about what's about to happen between Captain Hammer and the object of his affections -- anger, resentment, jealousy, frustration.  
  
What no one would guess that he feels is this intense sense of betrayal.  
  
What no one could know is that once, a lifetime ago -- Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer were friends.  
  
He remembers picking himself up off the ground, far less bruised and battered than he'd expected to be, as the bigger boys who'd intended on beating the crap out of him fled. He'd flinched, unsure what to expect, as the stranger had reached down a hand and helped him to his feet again.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."  
  
The open offer of friendship startled him, and Billy found himself struck with a sense of hope -- thinking that maybe there actually _were_ kind, decent people in the world.  
  
But time brought an end to that illusion.  
  
Captain Hammer actually started out as genuine hero, but too much attention and praise and fawning fans eventually got to his head, until he forgot about his former friends -- including Billy -- and moved on to what he considered to be more important things.  
  
His throat and head throbbing from the abuse Hammer's just dealt out, Billy fights back a bitter wave of disgusted nausea as he remembers what once was, and vows never to put himself in a position to be betrayed like that again.


	9. If You're Lucky

"Well, well... what have we here?"  
  
Billy looked up in alarm at the familiar and detested voice, the owner of which was making his way down the deserted alleyway toward him. He glanced down the alley in the other direction, where his last customer was just disappearing around the corner.  
  
Billy scrambled to rise from his vulnerable and humiliating position on his knees, instinctively brushing himself off in an attempt to look a little less pathetic.  
  
It certainly wasn't possible to look any _more_ pathetic.  
  
He was barely on his feet, however, when Hammer reached him and forcefully shoved him back down onto his knees on the concrete. Billy bit back a groan at the painful impact, struggling briefly to rise, but then keeping still when Hammer's meaty hand tightened warningly on his shoulder, just painful enough to let him know he didn't want it to get any _more_ painful.  
  
"I knew you were low, Dr. Horrible, but I had no idea you'd stooped to _this_. Selling your body, soul, and dignity to the first interested stranger in a filthy back alley. I mean, come on. At least have a _little_ self-respect. I won't even be able to enjoy knocking the crap out of you anymore."  
  
 _Well,_ there's _a plus... at least there_ is _one in this humiliating situation._  
  
"There's no way you could possibly understand the sacrifices I've had to make in order to achieve my goals," Billy informed him, defiant, though he was unable to keep the slight tremor from his voice. "Since you've always had everything handed to you!"  
  
"I have, haven't I?" Hammer smugly agreed. "And... I don't intend for that to change now..."  
  
Billy's heart lurched as Hammer edged nearer to him, and a cold sense of dread trickled down his spine with the dark realization of the larger, stronger man intended.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Billy muttered, shrugging out from under Hammer's hands.  
  
Hammer easily caught him again, grabbing his hair and yanking his head backward, keeping him on his knees.  
  
"I'm gonna do more than _touch_ you, Doctor." Hammer smirked. "And _you're_ gonna do... well..." He shrugged, clearly pleased with himself. "... pretty much anything I want."  
  
He crouched in front of his fallen nemesis, one huge hand clenched around his throat, pinning him to the wall behind him, his voice chillingly soft and menacing as he leaned very close to speak directly into his ear.  
  
"And if you're lucky... I might actually _pay_ you..."


	10. The Visitor

He might have gotten away with it if he hadn't stopped to make sure she was okay.  
  
The sight of her injuries had shaken him to the core. He'd tried to stop the bleeding, but his trembling hands didn't seem to want to cooperate. When the police had arrived to drag him away, he'd tried to fight his way back to her, but without his weapons, he really had little chance.  
  
They'd locked him away in an institution after a brief, hurried hearing during which he was found incompetent to stand trial, and yet dangerously mentally deranged.  
  
They wouldn't even tell him if she was alive or dead -- but he had seen those terrible injuries... all the blood... the dull glaze that was slowly overtaking her eyes -- and he knew what he'd done.  
  
He'd murdered the woman he loved.  
  
When they told him he had a visitor, he only allowed them to lead him into the visiting room because it would have been too much trouble to resist. Without Penny, there was no one he cared to see -- no one who cared about _him_. He didn't even lift his gaze from the floor as they led him to the table and sat him down.  
  
With Penny dead -- nothing mattered anymore.  
  
"Billy?"  
  
He froze, his heart skipping a beat, his eyes wide with disbelief when he saw her sitting there across the table from him. He shook his head slightly, hardly daring to believe it. It had to be a trick of some kind.  
  
But then, her soft hands were resting on his, her voice trembling with emotion, her eyes welling with tears.  
  
"God, Billy... are you okay?"  
  
"Penny... you... you're... I didn't... and you're not..." He broke down, his shoulders shaking with sobs as he lowered his head to rest against her hands. "I'm sorry," he cried softly, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry..."  
  
"Shhh," she soothed him, freeing one hand to run it gently through his hair. "It's okay, Billy... everything's going to be all right... everything's okay... I'm right here..."


	11. Armor

They've been together for nearly a year when she first glimpses one of the nightmares that plague him. He usually suffers them in silence, giving no outward sign of the torment that fills his dreams -- but tonight he's shaking, whimpering in his sleep, shaking his head and murmuring broken, pleading words.  
  
"Billy... Billy, sweetie, wake up!" Penny murmurs urgently, putting her arms around him and kissing his temple, rubbing his back as she tries to rouse him. "Come on, Billy... you're dreaming. Wake up..."  
  
He awakens with a start, scrambling out of her embrace and up against the headboard, his breath shallow and rapid, violently shaking. His eyes are wide and he doesn't even seem to see her.  
  
"Billy... hey... sweetie, you're scaring me..."  
  
He shakes his head slowly as he gradually seems to come out of it, focusing on her face. His eyes well with tears, and he looks away. She can almost see the walls falling into place around him again.  
  
She refuses to let it happen.  
  
She moves up to sit beside him, putting one arm around him and placing her hand on his cheek, gently insisting that he look at her. Her eyes search his face intently, and he knows there's nothing he can hide from her when she whispers in an urgent, loving tone of unyielding command.  
  
" _Tell me_."  
  
"It was... my fault... I... maybe I... did something..."  
  
"What was your fault, Billy?" she presses, frowning and shaking her head in confusion.  
  
"When I was... in college," he whispers, looking down at the mattress. He glances up at her with a grimace as he clarifies, " _Evil_ college. Where I got my PhD. They... came into my room one night. My... my roommate let them in. He... he did it, too."  
  
"Did what?"   
  
Penny prompts him when he's quiet for a very long time. He doesn't answer -- at least, not directly.  
  
"They called me a... a slut. A dirty little faggot whore who d-deserved it... all of it..."  
  
Penny's stomach drops as she understands what he's talking about, though a part of her mind is struggling not to understand this -- not to know this at all. She shakes her head slowly, an instinctive reaction to the horror he's speaking about; but he's not looking at her, staring down at the mattress with wide, faraway eyes.   
  
"Maybe I was," he whispers, despairing. "Maybe I... did something to make them think... i wanted it. Maybe it was... the way I dressed, or... the way I talked to them..."  
  
Suddenly, Penny understands with disturbing clarity why Billy's clothes never seem to quite fit.  
  
 _He's hiding himself... doesn't want anyone to think he's inviting them to... to..._  
  
It's too horrifying; she can't finish the thought.  
  
And she can't let _him_ finish it, either.  
  
"No," she insists firmly, putting her arms around him and drawing him close. "Sweetie, it wasn't your fault... it could never be your fault. You didn't want it, and you _told_ them you didn't want it, and they hurt you anyway. Nothing you could do could make you deserving of that."  
  
He's still and taut in her arms for a few long moments -- before yielding to the overwhelming emotions brought even closer to the surface by her affection. His narrow shoulders shake with sobs as he collapses into her embrace, clinging to her like a lifeline as he wordlessly pours out his pain.


	12. Bruises

The bruises have mostly faded by the time he ses her again, in the laundromat. In fact, she wouldn't notice them at all if she didn't get so close to him.  
  
Why did she have to get so close to him _now_?  
  
Billy can't help but flinch away, self-conscious and embarrassed by his injuries, as her hand freezes over his bruised cheek, and she draws in a soft gasp of alarm.  
  
"Billy... what _happened_?"  
  
He doesn't want to explain, and he doesn't have time to. According to what Penny's already told him, Hammer could be here any second. He rushes toward the exit, stammering out excuses -- but it's too late.  
  
Hammer feigns friendliness in front of Penny, and Billy desperately hopes it's not an act.  
  
Of course, it is.  
  
His stomach lurches as Hammer grabs him in a falsely friendly sideways hug of greeting, and Billy has never been more aware of his physical disadvantage in comparison to this man. It's a wordless threat, a reminder of his own helplessness. Hammer could shatter him with a single blow if he wanted.  
  
And apparently, he does.  
  
His cruel words only intensify Billy's feelings, adding anger and resentment to his fear. He's trembling with rage, frustration, and fear, when Penny returns, a troubled frown on her face as she looks between the two men.  
  
"Billy?" she asks uncertainly. "What's wrong? What...?"  
  
Her voice trails off as she glances at Hammer, and catches the maliciously triumphant glint in his eyes. She looks back at Billy, and it's impossible to miss the wary look of fear in his eyes.  
  
"Honey," she says, a bright smile on her lips. "I really need to finish up here. You can pick me up tonight, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Hammer agrees, barely hearing her, his cold gaze locked onto Billy -- whose eyes can't seem to rise above the floor.  
  
As the "hero" makes his exit, Penny's smile fades and she turns to give Billy a look of demanding question.  
  
"What do you see in that tool?" Billy mutters, shaking his head and starting to turn away.  
  
Penny catches his arm and spins him to face her again, staring up into his eyes until he reluctantly meets her gaze. Her tone is firm, unyielding, as she states without hesitation.  
  
"Have a seat, Billy. You and I need to have a talk."


End file.
